Abstract
The learning benefits of peer assessment and providing peer feedback have been widely reported. However, it is still not understood which learning activities most facilitate the acquisition of feedback skills. This study aimed to compare the effect of a modeling example, i.e., a model that demonstrated how to give feedback, on the acquisition of feedback skills. The participants were second-year bachelor students in pedagogical sciences (N = 111). They were assigned randomly to a practice condition, in which they practiced giving feedback on oral presentations, or a modeling example condition, in which a teacher demonstrated how to give feedback on a good and a bad presentation. Students then gave feedback to a presenter in a video (direct feedback measure). One week later, they gave each other peer feedback on oral presentations (delayed feedback measure). On the direct feedback measure, students in the modeling example condition used assessment criteria more often in their feedback, and produced significantly more overall feedback, and significantly more positive and negative judgments than students in the practice condition. There was no significant difference in the amount of elaboration and feed-forward between the two conditions. On the delayed feedback measure, there were no significant differences between the two experimental conditions. The results suggest that, at least in the short term, a modeling example can stimulate the use of assessment criteria and judgments in feedback. The results and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Highlights
Peer assessment has been implemented and studied widely in higher education, both as a learning tool and an assessment tool (Topping 1998; Van den Berg et al 2006a; Van Zundert et al 2010)
The modeling example condition generated significantly more feedback referring to assessment criteria than the practice condition (U = 413.00, z = 5.464, p < 0.0001, Mdn = 7.00 vs. Mdn = 5.00)
At T2, there were no significant differences between the modeling example condition (N = 47) and the practice condition (N = 45)
Summary
Peer assessment has been implemented and studied widely in higher education, both as a learning tool and an assessment tool (Topping 1998; Van den Berg et al 2006a; Van Zundert et al 2010). Several studies have shown positive effects of training and experience on students’ peer feedback skills (Van Zundert et al 2010). Modeling examples may be an effective instructional method when students have little experience with giving feedback. It is implemented for educational purposes in many different ways, ranging from peer marking or grading (grading the work of peers, Sadler and Good 2006) to more elaborate peer assessment with narrative feedback and dialogue between students (Panadero 2016). Peer assessment can be used to help students develop a range of professional and generic skills, such as feedback skills, collaboration skills, social skills, and communication skills (Sadler and Good 2006; Topping 1998; Van Popta et al 2017). Structure Breaks up the story into different parts Indicates transitions Summarizes intermediately Gives clear examples Makes comparisons Repeats difficult and/or important points
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